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Once away from Gerard's chamber, Robin slows her speed - mostly out of courtesy to the page hurrying up behind her. Though there's definitely some confusion there as well.
Coming to a stop, the Ranger turns a smile on the young man. "Soooo, where is Lilly?"
Perhaps stories about Julian's perpetually lost daughter have filtered down to enough of the staff, because after a rocky start, the page rallies well, figuring that bringing Robin should count as a 'reply' even to the Queen's austere (and beautiful) bodyguard.
"This way, ma'am." With a polite gesture and an unerring sense of direction, the page leads Robin through the hallways, stairways and byways of Amber Castle. In short order, the two stand before Lucas' door.
Robin looks around in confusion, her nose wrinkling. What is that smell?! And the corridor... so strange to her forest-born eyes. Somehow, she didn't figure that she'd find Lilly here. With sword-snagging fabric and tapestries hanging everywhere, completely non-functional whats... tables? holding... things that look fragile and not at all useful in a fight. The carpet sucks at the Ranger's boots with almost obscene intimacy and she's pretty sure that the colors are doing something bad to her eyes.
The page on the other hand seems to know exactly what he's doing. With quick efficient strokes, he settles his hair, straightens his tabard, swipes away dust that Robin can't even see, polishes his shoes on the backs of his trews, draws himself up to an appropriate carriage and knocks with the perfect mix of deference and competence.
"And that is probably my interruption," Lilly says with a shrug. She waits patiently for Lucas to answer. It is his suite after all.
"Indeed," says Lucas.
He rises in one easy movement from the low pouffe and saunters to the door, opening it to reveal the spick and span page (who sees a slightly flared nostril by way of acknowledgement) and Robin, who gets a fully raised eyebrow.
"Welcome to my humble abode, Cousin Robin," he says urbanely. "An unprecedented honour, I do believe. I had no idea that setting up as a single man would lead to my rooms becoming quite such a magnet to my female ... Well. Doubtless this visit is not due to a desire to share a convivial glass with me, but to your desire to find Lilly - am I correct?
"Do come in - or shall I send Lilly out to you?"
The corridor of the suite behind Lucas might seem to him sadly denuded of his objets trouvee, but to Robin it probably seems excessively over-furnished for a simple walkway.
Lucas! Robin blinks in surprise. Oh, well that explains a lot -- smells and drapery and such. As Lucas starts in on his lots of words approach to introductions, Robin's eyes take in what's behind him. Huhn! The Ranger's never been that big a fan of walls in the first place, but still... to do that to them. No wonder they're hiding behind all that stuff - embarrassment.
"Hi, Lucas." Robin gets out from behind the bemused smile. "Uhhh," she looks down at herself. Gone is the crisp clean Ranger of the funeral. There's definitely mud on her boots, at least two visible grass stains on her pants, the itinerant pine needle or three in her hair, and a cute little smudge under her chin. "If you're sure I won't muss or break anything, I guess... I can come in? It'd be up to Lilly to decide about glasses - convivial or otherwise."
"Absolutely," says Lucas. He nods a dismissal to the page, and then stands back to allow Robin to enter.
Robin flashes a thank-you smile to the working lad and steps through the door with delicate steps belied by her rough appearance. It's obvious that she's employing moving through the underbrush skills to navigate Lucas' art maze.
The flicker of firelight shows from the room where Lilly sits - and the fact that the door is half ajar is probably another giveaway. Lucas, ever the gentleman, follows Robin into the room.
If the corridor was crowded, this room positively screams that it's a den of sybaritic pleasures.
Yikes! 'Breathe, breathe,' Robin thinks to herself. 'Pleeeeze, Lucas, let at least some of those hanging... things have windows behind them.'
She smiles a little tightly to Lilly as she feels around for a flow of air from someplace other than the flue.
Lilly rises to her feet as Robin enters. As usual, she is armed. Her eyes lock on Robin's and she offers a nod. Her manner seems business-like but that too was common for Lilly.
"Your ride, I believe," he says to Lilly. "Would either of you care for a drink before you depart?"
In response, Lilly holds up her glass and then drinks down the contents. "I think I have now had more then I need," she says. "But please Robin, if you would like something, well don't let some rule of etiquette keep you from it. Our conversation can wait a few moments." In fact Lilly would almost welcome a slight delay. It would give her time to put her thoughts together.
Robin looks back and forth between Lucas and Lilly. Ride? Depart? Etiquette? Conversation? Ooookkkkaayyy.
With a wry smile, Robin edges toward the hearth, carefully maneuvering her sword and scabbard away from the... things. "I guess I can be social. What are you guys drinking?" Since she truly doubts that Lucas would tolerate any of her type of alcohol to share the same cabinet with his.
"Ah," said Lucas. "We were indulging in a little ... hmmm. Perhaps not. I think I might be able to mix something that would be to your taste, cousin."
"Oh, okay." Green eyes watch as Lucas sets to work. A quick smile darts across her lips at the... simplication of his dialogue since his earlier greeting. But she has to admit that it's working.
He moves over to a wooden cabinet (carved and embossed with more flourishes that any piece of wood deserves to have tortured out of it) and opens it to reveal what might seem to be an obscene number of bottles of alcohol. He pauses, considering, and then abstracts two - pouring a generous measure of both of them into a single glass. This he pads across to Robin with, and offers it with a slight bow.
Weeeellll, obviously Lucas knows how much to put in a glass for Robin. Her smile grows a little more as she accepts the glass. "Thank you, Lucas."
Warmth shows in her eyes. The Ranger knows it's his talent and way, but still she appreciates the actual grace as opposed to the flouncing.
The liquid within is a rich warm brown, like polished wood in firelight - and yet, if she holds it up to the light, it somehow seems to contain green lights, like sunlight in the deep forest. The smell is of ginger, richly spicy. When Robin takes a sip (if she does), the first impression is of liquid fire in her mouth. But that fades and becomes wonderfully warming - a richness that seems to melt its way slowly down her throat and fills her with a delicious warmth.
Of course, Robin might have had a whisky mac before.
Robin does take time to play with the colors a little. At a sniff, her expression changes from slightly wary to bemused delight. The first sip sends the girl's eyes off wandering. The second drink has not relation to a sip and is happily indulged in. "Ooo, Lucas! Harvest Dance. Thank you." She laughs, eyes sparkling. And toasts his talent at matching drink to drinker.
Lucas inclines his head with a faint, acknowledging smile.
She smiles over to Lilly. "What'd he give you?" The twinkle of gentle mischeviousness has replaced much of the animal trapped in the boudoir look in her face.
The seriousness leaves Lilly's features for a moment and there is a playful spark in her eye, "Ah the first was called Bride's Tears. The second... Well that one was never named. But it was quite lovely. Better then the first, I must say." She offers nod of thanks to Lucas.
Lilly allows a few moment for drinks to be consumed before addressing their host once more, "Lucas you have been most gracious this evening, thank you. But you seemed dressed for an evening out and I do not wish to keep you any longer." Her attention turns to Robin, "Perhaps you would like to take a walk in one of the gardens? I could use a bit of fresh air."
Lucas waits politely, making no move to detain his guests (nor any sign that might hurry their departure either). He is, of course, the perfect host.
Robin pauses from where she was wiping her mouth on the back of her hand. A chuckle ripples through her.
"Gardens would be fine." Yep, yep. Time to get Robin outdoors again, she thinks with a ironic smile.
"Lucas? Thank you." The Ranger holds out her glass to him, a little awkwardly, unsure of what to do with the thing. "Uh, maybe some time we could... you know... talk or something... I guess?"
Oh, yeah. That was smooth.
"I shall be delighted," says Lucas, with perfect gravity and a small bow, "to talk ... or something ... at some future time."
He takes Robin's empty glass and moves to escort both ladies from his rooms, holding open the door and closing it after their departure.
Lilly pauses for a moment of the way out, seems as if she has something to add, and then promptly retreats back to formality. Not now, she decides. It will wait.
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LII: Flirting in the Firelight | Index | LIV: Planning a Voyage
